Our goal as a coaching staff is to develop each player individually so that they can progress through the levels of the Manhattan Kickers Football Club (ages 4-12) and into MLS Academies or our affiliate club, Metropolitan Oval (ages 13-18).

We train at least three times during the week from September through June using a curriculum that focuses intensely on individual ability and game intelligence.Practice sessions aim to develop individual technique including dribbling, passing, shooting, and tactics (decision-making).

On weekends, the players ages 5-8 will participate in small-sided games (4v4, 3v3, 2v2) in a low-pressure environment where the focus is on utilizing the skills that were honed in training. We are strictly focused on player development (both short- and long-term) and not concerned with competition until the players are ready. In the small-sided environment, the players will have more exposures to the ball as well as be an active participant in a match. Players ages 9-12 will play games against local competition.

MKFC's club teams (U6-U11) have a 10-month season running from late August through late June. For ages U4 and U5, the club offers a seasonal Little Kickers program as well as satellite programs in Queens and Brooklyn. During the summer, the club offers MKFC camps as well as affiliate camps. We also offer a trip for selected players to Barcelona and the Mediterranean International Cup.

Programs:

The Little Kickers Soccer School (for boys and girls ages 3-6);

Summer Camps;

Individual Training.

Instructors:

Tom Hatton — He has 25 years playing experience, including representing Nottingham University one of the top college teams in the UK. Tom has extensive global soccer experience, playing in Korea, South Africa, Ireland, England in the Copa NYC, World Cup of New York. He has attended major global tournaments including the 2002 World Cup in Japan and 2004 Euro Cup in Portugal. After college he began working in Sports marketing, whilst coaching for the Nike, EA Games and MLS soccer programs, specializing in ages 6-9. Tom is the Director of the Little Kickers Soccer School for ages 3-5. He is also the MKFC 2007 head coach;

Devin Leahy — Kickers coaching staff. Devin went on to captain Trevor Day Schools high school team, where he coached 1st through 5th graders as part of the Physical Education Program. As a youth player, Devin competed in Europe, participating in the Gothia Cup in Sweden and the Harlem Cup in Holland, and trained with Vitoria FC in Brasil. Devin went on to play in college, leading the Hunter College Hawks to their first NCAA birth in over a decade while captaining the team as the center midfielder. Declining a semi-professional offer in Puerto Rico after college, Devin took the opportunity to work for Cipriani USA, in New York, Beverly Hills, and Istanbul;

Admir Nezaj — He moved to New York City from Kosovo at age 8 and two weeks later became an MKFC player. For the next five years, he played on the MKFC 96/97 team under Evan Rosenthal. Admir scored the goal on an overhead kick to win MKFC the State Championship, the first of any Manhattan team. After the Kickers, Admir went on to play for various NYC teams, including Met Oval, and he continues to play for the New York Athletic Club;

Sebastian Garces — He played on the 96/97 team under current MKFC President Evan Rosenthal, and then transitioned to the then-affiliate BW Gottschee in the US Development Academy, where he played through U18. He attended the University of Buffalo before transferring back to college in NYC. As a player, Sebastian captained the MKFC 96/97 team who won numerous tournaments around the region;

Eduardo Cruz Rodriguez — Kickers coaching staff. As a player, Eduardo had a professional career from 1986 to 1992 in Colombia (Deportivo Cali, Deportivo Pereira, Deportes Tolima, Sporting de Barranquilla) and Venezuela (Club Atletico Zamora). After his professional career, Eduardo began coaching at one of Colombia's top clubs, Deportivo Cali of the Categora Primera A (First Division) and afterwards at Categora Primera B (Second Division) club Academia FC. Later, Eduardo would be the head coach of the professional teams at Centauros FC and Universitario Popaya (Categora Primera B), and top-flight clubs Once Caldas (winner of the 2004 Copa Libertadores), and Deportes Quindio;

David Vilanova — He played for his hometown club CD Roquetenc from the age of 7 to 18 years-old. In 2011, he was offered a contract by CF Amposta (Third Division) and continued playing on other semi-professional teams in Catalonia. He earned a four-year Sports Teacher degree and UEFA B and UEFA A licenses. During his UEFA A course he worked at the FC Barcelona Technical School as a volunteer coach, where he learned the philosophy. After receiving his license, David began work with Global Premier Soccer (Bayern Munich Official Partner), as an FC Bayern Munich ID Program (USA) Head Coach. Currently, David is a full-time DV7 Soccer Academy staff coach in New York City;

Kashif Anthony's — He played club soccer for Soccer Expression FC in Brooklyn, where he learned the fundamentals of soccer while training three days a week. Kashif graduated college in 2013 with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Health Science, and sought to pursue a career in the world of soccer. He coached there from 2015 to 2017, focusing on preparing athletes physically for practices and games, and his teams we won the Chelsea Piers Indoor League, Asphalt Green's Community Sports League and the NYCD Nike Summer League. Kashif also began working with MKFC 's Little Kickers.